Eminem Covers VIBE in 10-Year Anniversary Celebration of ‘8 Mile’

Eminem covers the October/November 2012 issue of VIBE magazine but he's not promoting a new album. The Grammy-winning rhyme-spitter chats with the publication in commemoration to tenth anniversary of his classic 2002 flick '8 Mile.'

The Curtis Hanson-directed film, which was loosely based on Eminem's life growing up in Detroit, was a critical and financial success at the box office. The movie's anthemic single, 'Lose Yourself,' garnered Em his first Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Slim Shady, along with the other cast members, including Mekhi Phifer and Anthony Mackie, reflected on the film's impact and its success. For Em, whose first leading role as B-Rabbit, the movie was a journey of self-discovery. "I definitely felt like I was about to embark on some s--- that was not necessarily up my alley," he said. "It was all brand new, and I’m so glad I had all of these guys around me. My hardest part, was remembering the lines. ‘Cause really, all I had to do was take myself back into the mind frame of how I felt before I got signed with [Dr. Dre]. It wasn’t really too much to just be myself."

Elsewhere in the interview, Phifer also talked about playing Future, which was loosely based on Em's late friend and D-12 rapper Proof. "I definitely spoke to Proof. I didn't sit him down, because to me the character spoke for itself," he said. "I mean, I wanted to portray him as he was in '95. That's why you see me with that wig, that crazy wig! [Laughs] And that even came down to the wire -- we almost couldn't do dreds because they couldn't get the wig right."

Em adds, "We used to call Proof 'the Wolverine' because at the Hip-Hop Shop, his hair was crazy. I think that, for the most part, being that I wasn’t playing Marshall, Mekhi’s character didn’t have to be exactly like Proof. As long as it had that authenticity, which I felt it did. He just had to be Detroit."

Although '8 Mile' is not actually Eminem's biopic, the Detroit rapper feels that underlying story and his portrayal of B-Rabbit is what connected him to his fans. "People who really listen to my music probably know what's real in that movie and what's not," he says. "There were bits and pieces that were taken from my life, but for the most part, it was the story of the underdog."

"We rehearsed so much before we even started the film, and I was in every scene," he continues. "I was there every day from 6 AM until -- half the time -- 5 in the morning the next day. It became a point where I felt like I am this person. I'm f---ing B-Rabbit because I was living this movie. I had no choice but to be him."

The October/November 2012 VIBE issue honoring the tenth anniversary of Eminem's movie '8 Mile' will hit newsstands later this month.